Configuring a control system generally involves programming of the control system to recognize various I/O and making physical connections of the I/O to the correct points on I/O modules. Typically, the I/O configuration is performed using software such as SmartPlant™ (Intergraph, a part of Hexagon AB, Stockholm, Sweden), and the like. However, once the configuration is designed using software, engineers and technicians manually configure the hardware and software for each I/O point of the control system. This can be a time-intensive and labor-intensive effort, which can greatly increase configuration and commissioning costs.
A need, therefore, exists for a method and system that overcomes challenges in the art, some of which are described above.